Combination coat hanger and clothes



July 12, 1955 w. B. SCHAEFER COMBINATION COAT HANGER AND CLOTHES BRUSH Filed Jan.- 26, 1955 FE ////J I N VEN TOR. Mu 14M 19. Jb/AEFE AT ORNEYS.

United States Patent C tIQMBlNATION CGAT HANGER AND CLOTHES BRUSH William B. Schaefer, Cincinnati, Ohio Application January 26, 1953, Serial No. 333,051

1 Claim. (Cl. 223-94) My invention relates to a combination or composite coat hanger and clothes brush which in one position of use will find utility as a conventional garment or clothes hanger and in the other position of use may be used as a clothes brush having a convenient gripping handle.

It is a principal object of my invention to provide a composite structure of the character described comprising a body portion to the upper end of which a hook or hanging member is secured and to the lower end of which is mounted a brush, there being pivoting arms extending outwardly from opposite sides of the body movable from an outwardly extending position in which the arms are adapted to receive a garment to a position in which the arms lie in close proximity and constitute a handle for manipulating the brush.

It is a further object of my invention to produce a device of the character described wherein the arms are of hollow, generally U-shaped configuration such that when they are in the handle forming position, they will surround and enclose the hook portion of the device.

Still a further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described wherein the arms are so configured that in the extended position they provide a smooth upper surface for receiving a garment, whereas when they are in the handle forming position they present surfaces which are configured so as to be readily gripped and held by the user.

These and other objects of my invention which will appear hereinafter or which will be apparent to the skilled worker in the art upon reading the specifications, I accomplish by that construction and arrangement of parts of which i shall now describe an exemplary embodiment.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of my device in of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a partial perspective view of a brush element for my device.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates the body of the device which comprises the spaced apart sides 2 and 3. Preferably, the body will be of generally U-shaped configuration, the sides 2 and 3 being joined together at their lower ends by the connecting pieces 4 and 5.

While the material or materials from which the device is formed do not constitute a limitation of the invention, I have found it preferable to form the parts from plastics or other readily formable materials which are capable of being bent or otherwise shaped into the desired configuration.

A hook or hanging element 6 is inserted between the sides 2 and 3, the hook being preferably of a size to be just nicely received therebetween.

A brush element 7 extends downwardly from the lower end of the body 1, the brush preferably including a backing element 8 which fits between the sides 2 and 3 intermediate the connecting pieces 4 and 5. As in the case 0 of the hook 6, the brush element will be securely mounted to the body. The manner in which the parts are secured is not a limitation on my invention and will be readily apparent to the worker in the art.

Arms 9 and 10 extend outwardly from the opposite sides of the body, the arms being pivotally connected to the body by means of the pins 11 and 12. As best seen in Figure 5 the arms are also preferably of U-shaped configuration and comprise the spaced apart walls 13 and 14 joined together at their bases by connecting portions 15.

As best seen in Figure 4, the walls 13 and 14 are pressed together in the areas 16 and 17 so as to define, in effect, pockets 18 intermediate the ends of the arm. As will be apparent from the drawings, the pressed together portions 16 of the walls 13 and 14 will fit between the sides 2 and 3 of the body, being pivotally connected to the body by means of the pivot pins passing therethrough The arms will be provided with abutments 19 which will come to rest against the connecting pieces 4 and 5 so as to maintain the arms in the outwardly extended position.

The configuration of the arms 9 and 10 is such that their upper surfaces are relatively smooth and so shaped as to present a suitable surface for supporting a garment in conventional manner. The under surfaces of the arms are, however, of irregular configuration such that when the arms are pivoted to the position illustrated in Figure 2, they will constitute a handle which is convenient to grip in the hand. It will be also noted that the pockets 18 are so arranged as to surround portions of the hanger 6, and I am thereby able to bring the outer portion 17 of the arms into substantially abutting relation. This not only makes the device more compact for carrying or storage purposes but also permits the arms to be brought much closer together than would be possible if the arms were simply in abutting relationship to the hook.

Modifications may, of course, be made in my invention without departing from the spirit of it. For example, it will be evident that the arms need not be formed as U-shaped members, but rather may be of essentially solid form so long as provision is made for the pockets to receive the hook element.

Having thus described my invention in an exemplary embodiment, what I desire to secure and protect by Letters Patent is:

In combination in a device for the purposes described, an elongated body comprising an opposed pair of spaced apart sides joined together along their lower edges by connecting pieces extending inwardly from the ends thereof, said connecting pieces being relatively short and defining a centrally disposed opening in the bottom of said body, a bristle brush mounted in said opening and extending downwardly from said body, a rigid hook element having its base fitted between the sides of said body and extending upwardly therebeyond, arms pivoted to the opposite ends of said body and adapted to extend outwardly therebeyond, said arms having their inner ends fitted between the sides of said body and pinned thereto, said arms comprising members generally U-shaped in cross section defining upwardly opening pockets and including abutments adapted, in the extended position of said arms, to contact the connecting pieces of said body to establish the extended position of said arms, said arms being movable from an extended, generally horizontally disposed position to an upright position in which said hook is received in said pockets and said arms are in substantially contacting relationship,

, the lower surfaces of said arms being of irregular configuration, whereby when said arrns are brought together they define a convenient gripping handle for said bristle brush.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Stiebritz May 2, '1916 Muller June 9, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain May 3, 1928 Germany Nov. 14, 1928 

